Despite losing by 13 points to 11 in the final in October, they were officially awarded the championship last night when it was revealed that their opponents, Clon Na Gael, had brought in three senior players from outside the London area.Two of those players, Kevin Dowd and Dan Fagan, play for County Neath, but if Jersey Irish hadn’t been alert enough to take pictures of them during the game, they wouldn’t have had proof enough to place before the four-man disciplinary committee.’They could have been disqualified before the final because they didn’t fulfil a fixture on 27 July,’ said Jersey Irish spokesman Jeremy Clare.’But the main issue was the players they brought in for the final.
They had at least three senior players, possibly five.’The day after the final I submitted our report, citing Clon Na Gael for going against the rules.’The committee met on Sunday and when I showed them the action pictures of the Irish players their representative had nothing to say.’The players they had were the pick of the county.
This will make very big news back in Ireland.’Jersey’s objection to Clon Na Gael’s win was upheld, but the committee only ratified the decision last night, ordering that the cup be sent over to Jersey where it rightfully belongs.’It might make it sound a bit hollow,’ said Clare, ‘But this is the second year running they’ve done this.
When I produced the photographs their representative went very quiet .
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.’It isn’t the way we’d like to win, but we spend a lot of money to play in this tournament.
It’s wrong to have to play against a team that pays to import players from Ireland.’Once the cup is found and returned to its rightful place – Jersey – the Jersey Irish hurling team will take time out at Scruffy Murphy’s on Friday night to celebrate a win that should have been theirs a month ago.
‘The irony is that one of the Irish ringers had so little knowledge of the Clon Na Gael team that he ended up in the Jersey Irish changing room, getting changed and ready to play for them.’
